The Heart Remembers
by BoandNora-ItsOneWord
Summary: Robin is three months old when Anna finds out that the love of her life is getting remarried. She must decide if she will risk her heart to ask him for a second chance or whether she will leave him to his assumed happiness without her. She also has to decide whether to tell him about their daughter. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 **A/N: This story will be extremely AU. This takes place takes place in the middle of 1979 but in this story Luke and Laura already had Lucky and now they are both presumed dead. Robert and Tiffany are Lucky's Godparents. Most of Robert and Anna's history will be the same, even if the timing is different**.

 _ **May 1979**_

She traces his face with the back of her thumb as a single tear rolls down her cheek. The words written below are like a dagger to the heart. " **Port Charles Police Commissioner Robert Scorpio to Wed Tiffany Hill."**

 _His hand gripped hers as they walked through the freshly wet grass near the fountain of the church until they had reached the crowd of people gathered to wed. An older woman had taken the veil from her head and given it to Robert. He took a moment to look into her eyes and she had looked back—the unbridled passion simmering just below the surface. He placed the elegant veil upon her head and reached for her hand once more. She listens to the Italian prayers as she looks at the man she loves. Everything around her makes her feel hope for her future._

 _"I, Robert take thee Anna to be my lawfully wedded wife, to love honor and respect until death us do part."_

 _"I, Anna take thee Robert to be my lawfully wedded husband, I vow to love honor and respect thee until death us do part."_

 _Their eyes find each other's as a smile spreads across each of their faces, their hands still joined together. They repeat an Italian prayer with the rest of the couples getting married and then it is time for their first kiss as husband and wife._

 _The way he looked at her then was something she had never experienced in her life before…that kind of intensity and passion and all-consuming love. She never once considered that there would come a day when they would not be together._

Church bells from outside her apartment jolt her back to reality and the newspaper staring back at her from the desk. She wonders if Robert's new fiancé knows about her and what they shared so many moons ago.

"Do you love her the same way you loved me Robert? Does she make you feel the same way that I did? Do you even miss me at all?"

One tear turned into two and then into three and suddenly the floodgates had opened and she was crying harder than she ever has since the day he left. Time may have changed _his_ feelings for _her_ but it had _never_ changed _her_ feelings for _him_.

 **Robert**

Robert walks into the spare bedroom where his best friend Luke's little boy is now waking up in tears. He sits the child on his lap and gives him a glass of water. How did you explain to a child that the only parent you had left is now gone. He wants to honor Luke's memory but he has no idea what he was thinking when he left custody of Lucky to him, his Godfather. He knows nothing about raising a child. His job could leave the little boy a target.

"Did you have a bad dream," Robert asks the three year old. Lucky feels safe with Robert, though he has no idea why. "How about you sleep with me tonight," he offers. Somehow, he knows instinctively that he needs the child as much as he needs him. Tiffany comes out from the bathroom and smiles at Robert, holding the child.

"Maybe this is why Luke thought you should raise him, "she whispers. "Because he knew that underneath all that charm, is actually a really great man…a man who would make a wonderful father someday."

Tiffany watches him as he climbs into bed with the boy. He is rubbing his back as he sings a very bad lullaby to him. She knew that Robert did not love her but she cannot help but wonder why he looks so tormented now.

"Maybe you shouldn't sing to him," Tiffany jokes, as she climbs onto the other side of the bed. "You might scare him even more."

Robert's eyes cloud with unshared despair and she knows he is not just thinking about his best friend's death. Something is truly haunting him.

"Hey, I was joking, "she says, as she drapes an arm around his shoulder. He barely even looks at her as he shuts off the lights.

"Robert, What is it," Tiffany asks? "I _know_ that look and it is _not_ just Luke that you are thinking about. Someone must have hurt you very badly in the past. Please talk to me. It is not healthy for you to hold everything inside. "

 _Memories of a dark haired girl with amber eyes flash through his mind. He can still picture her grabbing his hand as they run for their lives… kissing her on a beach in Italy just before he marries her. He can still remember caressing her hair in a hotel room as she sleeps on his chest and making love to her until he was positive that he could no longer breathe._ He forces the tears away just as quickly as they come. He has thought of nothing else since he left, even when he hates himself for it…hates himself for still carrying feelings for the very woman who broke him.

"I'm Fine," Robert insists, maybe a little too quickly. He turns around and faces the wall, and Tiffany knows the figurative wall has once again come up. She can try her best to sleep off the loneliness but she knows she cannot change Robert's past. A woman always knows when a man has been in love before.

 **Anna**

Anna picks up a crying baby and holds her to her chest. It has just been three months since her birth.

"It's going to be okay Robin. You and I will be okay."

She sits down in the rocking chair, covering them both with a blanket. Anna sings to her as Robin begins to relax in her arms.

"You don't know him but you miss him too don't you? How can a little girl not miss her daddy?"

She would carry the child back to the bed and watch the steady rise and fall of her chest. Anna has not been sleeping in months but maybe with Robin here, they could at least pretend to be okay.

"Goodnight my love. Mommy loves you." _And you too Robert, wherever you are. I still love you too_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Anna fingers the red fabric in her hands as she watches Robin sleep. It was a gift from Robert from their happier times. She knows in some small way it is probably selfish to keep Robin from him…especially knowing how great a father he would be. _She cannot tell him though. She cannot risk the chance that he will take their daughter from her arms. She cannot risk never knowing if his feelings are from obligation when all she wants is his love and his forgiveness. Maybe she is even selfish for wanting to raise Robin when she could be in danger every day._

She takes the baby monitor with her as she goes into the bathroom. Maybe a hot bath would do her good. She needed a clear head before she made any decisions. _She loves Robert. Oh how she loves him… But is it right for her to disrupt his happiness just because she cannot let him go. Who is to say that his bitter heart will have thawed at all?_

* * *

Bobbie looks down at her nephew as she helps prepare Tiffany for her big day. "You are hardly the blushing bride I expected to see," she muses.

"You _know_ we are not marrying for love Bobbie," Tiffany says.

"Maybe not but you _both_ love this little guy don't you?"

Tiffany smiles as she looks down at her Godson. "Luke wanted Robert to raise him. I'm only here to help him with the job."

"You _could_ have fooled me."

"I can't allow myself to fall in love with him Bobbie. I can't."

"You could certainly do worse than Robert Scorpio Tiff."

"It's not that…It's…I don't want to live in the shadows of a woman he obviously still has it bad for?"

"You think Robert is in love with someone…who?"

"I don't know…I just know that something is haunting him…something he can't let go of…He has nightmares Bobbie. He does not know I can hear him when he is tossing and turning in his sleep…calling her name. "

"Wait…he has a name for this mystery woman?"

Tiffany shakes her head. "Anna. He calls her his Anna. I have a feeling she is the reason he will not allow himself to open his heart again. Oh, he will give his body away. That requires no effort at all. For all I know, he is imagining her when we have sex. I know that he loves this woman…I do not know who she is other than she is obviously the woman who both got under his skin and broke his heart. You cannot compete with love like that…eventually it will burn you alive."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I am not sure yet. I am not saying I will not marry him. People marry for all kinds of reasons. I just wish he would be honest with me. "

"I'm sorry Tiff. Is there anything I can do?"

"You're doing it. For now, all I can do is wait him out. In the end, the choice is his. I will not hold him to his promise if he wants to be somewhere else."

"You are a remarkable woman Tiffany Hill."

"I don't know about that. I am envious really. Someday I want to find that kind of love. How many of us can say we have the kind of love that people would die for?"

"Not many, that's for sure."

Tiffany smiles at Bobbie before she retreats to the bathroom to put on her dress. Bobbie picks up her nephew and smiles. "I'm with Tiffany. I want to find that kind of love someday. What is Robert waiting for? Doesn't he know how lucky he is to have found it when most people never do?"

* * *

"I _can't_ let you do this Robert," Sean says, as he watches his friend adjust his tie.

"It's not _up_ to you Sean," he says. "This is _my_ wedding day. _Why can't you be happy for me?"_

"Two Reasons. They _both_ add up to the same thing. _Anna Devane_."

"Leave _her out_ of this Sean. What happened between us was a really long time ago."

"It was not _that_ long ago. You forget who you are speaking to Robert. _I_ was there when you two met for the first time. I _saw_ the way you reacted to each other. The way you _looked_ at each other. If there is such a thing as love at first sight, you two were it."

"It's over Sean. Let it go."

" _Do not lie to me Robert._ I see it in your eyes. When you look at Tiffany, you _wish_ it were Anna. Doesn't she deserve better that that?"

"You mean _you?"_

 _"Did I say that?"_

"You did not have to. I _know_ you have feelings for her."

"That is _not_ the point. This is about _you_. You do not eat anymore. You barely sleep. I know you still look for information about her because I have seen it with my own eyes. When are you going to admit that you are _still_ carrying a giant sized torch for her?"

"You are imagining things Sean. "

"Oh Really? Then tell me Robert. _How_ did your divorce papers get filed without _your_ signature?"

 _"What the hell are you talking about?"_

Sean took the papers out of his pocket and handed them to him. "You cannot marry Tiffany Robert. You will be committing _bigamy_ if you do. "  
 _  
"Are you saying I'm still married to Anna?"_

"Are you _Blind_ Robert? It is all right there. You _cannot_ be divorced if you never signed the papers. "

"How did this happen?"

Robert looks as if he's about to pass out and Sean claps a hand on his shoulder. "You know _exactly_ how it happened. You were in such a rush to convince yourself that you were _through_ with her that you missed your _own_ signature. Or was that the plan all along?"

"This is _not_ funny Sean. This is the _last_ thing I need right now."

"Well like it or not, it's _happening._ If you really want this divorce, you are going to have to talk to Anna. It has been over a year. New papers will have to be drawn up."

He sinks down into a chair and sighs. A mixture of pain and anger disguising the obvious love that is still buried deep in his heart. The love you never get over.

 _"I don't believe this._ I am _never_ going to live this one down am I?"

"The Truth?"

"What else?"

"I don't think this was an accident Robert. You do _not_ get over that kind of love as quickly as you pretended to. You masked the hurt with your anger. Now you have _no choice_ but to deal with the hurt. There are _worse_ things you could be facing than a marriage to Anna Devane. Why can't you admit that you are still in love with her?"

"It was against the rules Sean. We _both_ know that."

"Except that you no longer have that excuse Robert. It was a different time when those rules were in place. The truth is that you cannot keep two people apart if they are meant to be."

 _"And you suddenly think we are soulmates now?"_

"I think you are _both_ stubborn fools afraid to admit that you hurt each other but are still crazy in love. It does not matter what _I_ think. I just know that you are _miserable_ without her. Get on that plane Robert. _Deal_ with your past. You _won't_ have a future until you do."

"I'm afraid I won't have a future if I go back into the past," He admits.

"Well _if_ that happens Robert…it means your future and your past are the same thing. Facing your wife is not going to kill you…denying your feelings for her to the point where it is unhealthy just might? All you have to do is talk to her. Whatever happens next is up to the two of you. _Aren't you tired of hating her?_ "

"You think I _hate_ her?"

"You don't?"

"She hurt me Sean. I am bitter and angry and probably every negative word in the English language…but _hate_ …hate is something I _never_ could do… _believe me_ , I _tried._ "

"Then maybe you should ask yourself why…If you don't hate her then maybe you still love her. There is a very thin line between those two emotions. Do not be so hard on yourself Robert. It is _okay_ to forgive her. Maybe it is exactly what you both need to heal."

 _That is what he is afraid of…If he forgives the woman who broke his heart, then what is left to hold him together. He would not be able to survive another fall. Loving Anna was both his salvation and his downfall_.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Tiffany's words keep ringing in his head as he brushes the hair back from his Godson's face. Lucky was asleep in the seat next to him on the plane.

 _"A man does not forget to sign divorce papers Robert. I do not care how angry you were. Sean is right. It was not an accident. You are still in love with her."_

 _"Why does everyone keep saying that? I am not in love with her. How could I be in love with her after everything she did?"_

 _"Do you even hear yourself? You are trying to convince yourself that you could not possibly love this woman…Robert you married her…you loved her madly from the way you speak of her…It is not that much of a stretch for you to still love her, even when you don't want to. The heart is funny that way."_

 _"Tiffany…"_

 _"Robert, Please. We both know your heart has not been here since we started this. Now I know why. As much as I love this little boy, I am not going to marry a man who is clearly still in love with the woman he married. Go to her Robert. Let her help you with Lucky. It is what Luke and Laura would have wanted. They would want their son raised in a family that loves each other."_

Robert's eyes snap open at the sound of a child's scream. For a moment, he forgets where he is. Lucky is looking at him with pleading eyes. _He is his responsibility now. He has to do right by him._

He picks the boy up and sits him on his lap. His arms immediately go around his neck and he settles against Robert's chest. The crying has ceased. _He just wants someone to make him feel safe. For the life of him, he cannot figure out why that is him. When was the last time he made anyone feel safe?_

"You're good with him," a woman across the aisle mentioned. "You shouldn't second guess yourself. You'll figure it out."

"How could you tell," he asked her.

"Your body language _screams_ new father. Relax. Children only need for you to love them."

He pauses as he looks at Lucky and then back at the woman. "You know, you never think when you agree to be a child's God Father that you will ever have to take that to heart. He has lost both his parents. I am the only person he has to count on and honestly, that scares the hell out of me. I don't know the first thing about being a father."

"You're doing it. Just look at him. He loves you. That's half the battle."

Robert looks down at Lucky, whose tiny fingers have curled around his larger ones. Lucky buries his head in the crook of Robert's neck as he sleeps. He smiles as he rubs his Godson's back. _He would give anything to go back to when life was that simple.  
_

* * *

Robert stood at Anna's door for quite some time before he could even muster the courage to knock. _What was he supposed to say to her? It's not as if he could just walk in there and ask for a divorce…As far as she knows they already are divorced._

 _"Robert."_

She is standing in front of him in nothing but a robe. _Do not look Scorpio. Whatever you do, do not look in her eyes. You know you will just fall in love again._

 _It was too late._ He hasn't seen her in just over a year and she is still as beautiful as she was on the day that he left her in that hospital in Paris. He never thought he would see her again and seeing her now…It hurt.

 _"Anna,"_ he gasps. "I think we need to talk."

She steps aside and lets him enter, even if she longs to let their eyes linger just a little longer. M _aybe if Robert looked in her eyes longer than he would remember why he loved her once.  
_  
He takes a seat on her couch, as Anna lets him know it is okay for him to lay the sleeping child down.

"Who's the little boy," Anna asks?

Robert wishes he could tell her that Lucky was his…if only to see her hurt as much as she hurt him. In all the months that he spent without her, he was convinced that he wanted to know she was suffering…if only to acknowledge that she felt even a fraction of what he felt. _Now that he was sitting in front of her, he knew that hurting her would not make his pain any less._

"He's Luke and Laura's son. Luke was one of my best friends. His name is Lucky and he is my Godson. Both his parents are dead now…for some reason Luke thought it would be best if I raise him."

Anna smiles at him. Just watching him with this child makes her think of Robin. If he stays here much longer than he is going to find out about their daughter. Somehow, though, she does not mind. _She has dreamed of this moment when she could finally see him again. She would not push him out.  
_  
"Maybe he knows that you would make a wonderful father," she says.

Robert does not say anything then. He knows she has to wonder why he is here.

"You seem nervous Robert. Is there something wrong?"

"I need to tell you something and I'm not quite sure how to do that."

"You know you can tell me anything Robert. You might not want to but you can. "

 _I still love you Robert_

He takes a deep breath as he looks at her. He wipes the sweat from the back of his neck. _Why was he so nervous?_  
 _  
Why can't I stop loving you?_

"Anna I…"

She boldly moves her hand to cover his own. She expected him to resist but for some reason he just left it there. _She would not complain. She always loved to feel his warmth on her skin._

"As much as I hate to admit that I made a mistake, "he continues. "I think it's the only way you will believe what I have to tell you?"

"I thought you didn't _make_ mistakes," she quipped. She meant it as a joke but he looked far more serious than she expected and she worried that he thought she sounded bitter.

"Sometimes I do," he said, before she could admit that she was kidding. He handed her the papers and she seemed confused at first…until she got to the end of them.

"You didn't sign them? So that means…"

"We are still married. That is correct."

" _So what was the mistake Robert…That you didn't sign them or that you drew them up in the first place?"  
_  
" _Anna…_ "

"Hasn't this time apart taught you _anything?_ You left me in that hospital and you never let me explain. Maybe if you had, you would believe me when I say that _I love you._ What do I have to do to show you how sorry I am? Can't you find it in your heart to show me just a little bit of forgiveness...Or did everything that we shared not mean anything at all to you? _I love you Robert. I just want a chance to earn your forgiveness…and your love. Can't you ever love me again?"  
_  
She presses a finger to his lips when she knows he is about to object… "Don't say anything Robert. Just give me this moment. I promise I won't mention it again."

She tilts his chin so she can look at him…those dark expressive eyes telling her everything she needs to know…and then she kisses him. _He feels just like he did when they were together_. It amazes her how even with one kiss; it still sends shivers throughout her body.

 _"Anna,"_ he pants, his forehead now resting against hers.

 _"Don't tell me you don't feel anything because we both know that's a lie."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Robert caresses the side of her cheek with his finger just before he turns away from her. She knows what he is doing. He cannot bare to look her in the eyes. If he did, then he would remember the love he does not want to feel for her anymore.

 _"Tell me you don't love me Robert,_ " she urges. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you feel _nothing_. It's the _only_ way you are going to get me to sign those papers."

She watches him pace in her kitchen, no doubt trying to find the words to convey what he feels in his heart. When he finally turns around to face her, her heart aches for him. She can see the creases in his forehead even as his eyes fill up with tears.

" _I hate that you can still do this to me,"_ he states. _"I wish that I had the capacity to look you in the eyes and lie._ You are the _only_ woman who _ever_ made me _weak_ and I _hate_ that about myself."

"You are _not weak_ Robert. It is _okay_ to show emotion."

"You want to know the truth Anna?"

"Always."

" _I loved you. Dear God, how I loved you._ It also opened me up to the _worst_ kind of pain. Did you know that I almost got myself _killed_ after that bloody explosion? I could not focus. All I could think about was _you_. That is a _dangerous_ thing for an agent Anna."

"Robert, _I never wanted that for you."  
_  
" _Then tell me the truth. Please Anna. I need to know. Did I ever mean anything to you? Was there even one moment of our life together that was real or was it all just another one of your bloody lies?"_

"How can you even _think_ that Robert. I _loved you_ with my _whole_ heart. I _never_ lied about the way I feel for you. Not once. _You were not a God Damned mission to me Robert. You were the only thing that mattered to me. The only thing that was ever real to me. "_  
 _  
"You broke every bloody piece of my heart. Do you get that Anna? Your betrayal…it was as if you cut my heart out and left me there to die. How could you do that to someone you say you love? How could you do that to me?"_

 _"I didn't have a choice…"_

"What does that even _mean_ Anna?"

She takes a step forward and presses a kiss to his forehead.

 _"I still love you just as much as I did on the day we got married._ _I can prove it._ Just…wait here. _Please._ "

When Anna retreats into the other room, Robert sinks down onto the couch and curses himself for letting her get to him again. He was on suspension from the PCPD for this very reason. _He was far too reckless now…_ it was causing him to rush into things _impulsively, with no thought to his life_ when the _old_ Robert would have taken the time to decide the best course of action.

 _He was letting his anger rule his life. He knew he needed to find a way to let it go_. Maybe Sean was right. Maybe _Anna_ was the _only_ one who could help him do that.

* * *

Anna walks into the room and takes a seat next to him.

"Do you remember the gifts that we gave each other after we got married?" she asked.

She places the handkerchief in his hand as she recites the engraved words by heart.

 **"I promise to be on your team. I promise to be faithful. I promise to be quick to forgive. I promise to stand by you. I promise to trust you, honor you and respect you. I promise to love you always."**

Robert reaches into his pocket and pulls out the matching one. Anna takes his hand in hers as she looks at him.

"Do you remember what these gifts symbolized," she asks him.

"We gave each other these gifts because we knew that in our line of work, we had to lie for a living. These handkerchiefs meant that we understood that if there ever came a time when we were separated by work, we could show them to each other and we would know that our love for each other was still real."

"It's True Robert. No matter what I had to do, I _never_ stopped loving you. I know that there have been _many_ secrets between us since then. I could tell you that I never wanted _any_ of that but would it _really_ change anything?"

She reaches for his hand and to her surprise; he does not pull it away.

"Robert, all I am asking for is a chance to show you that I am _not_ the same woman who hurt you. I _don't_ want there to be any more secrets between us."

"I don't want that _either,_ " he admits sadly.

She brushes the tears from his cheek with her fingers as she kisses him softly. "I want you to trust me again Robert. That is why I need you to come with me. I have something to show you."

"Can't this wait," he asks.

"It's waited long _enough_ Robert. I need to tell you my last secret. Once I do that, then it will be up to you to decide if you can tell me _yours._ "

He takes her hand and she pulls him up off the couch. It was such a role reversal now. Robert was not the same man she married. Her betrayal has beaten him down in ways she _never_ would have imagined. _She hopes that she is not making a mistake telling him about their daughter_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Anna's hand is still in Robert's as she opens the door to the nursery. Robin is having a conversation with her mobile as she makes incoherent sounds.

"You have a child," he questions.

 _"We_ do," she whispers. "Her name is Robin. She's three months old."

Robert takes a step back, and Anna listens to the silence that fills the air, as he lets go of her hand. She wraps her arms around herself as Robert just stares at her. She knows he is still trying to process what she just told him so she waits him out. A few more frozen seconds pass before he finds his voice.

" _Why didn't you tell me Anna_ ," he asks.

Anna takes a deep breath as Robert looks away from her. She expected anger but there was none. She almost thought this was worse. She never wanted him to blame himself.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to use her to get you back. The way you looked at me in that hospital…I never wanted to see that look in your eyes again. If you had stayed…"

"If I had stayed… _What?_ Would you have told me the truth?"

"I didn't know I was pregnant then Robert. If I had then I would have told you. To this day, I am still not sure if I did the right thing by keeping her."

 _"Are you saying that you…Anna, you didn't…_ "

She takes a step forward and places both hands on his cheeks. " _How_ could you _ever_ think that I could even _consider_ getting rid of a child… _especially your_ child? She is the _only_ thing I had left of you."

"But you said…"

"She's the daughter of two international spies. Her life could be in danger every day. I worry about that constantly. Would she be safer growing up with someone else?"

"She's our daughter Anna. She belongs with _us_."

Robert walks to the crib, his hands gripping the railing.

"Well hello there little one. I'm your daddy."

Anna smiles at Robert as he speaks to their daughter and her heart swells with love and pride. _He deserves this. He deserves to be a part of his daughter's life. It was all she had ever dreamed of since she found out she was pregnant._

"Would you like to hold her," she asks him?

"Really?"

"You are her father Robert. Of course you can hold her."

Anna reaches into the crib and picks up her little girl. It was almost time for her feeding.

"Hey Robin. Mommy wants you to meet someone. This is your Daddy, Robert Scorpio. Mommy named you after him. You will never know a greater man than your father."

"Well I don't know about that."

"I do."

Robert smiles and Anna asked him to sit down in the rocking chair. When she places Robin in his arms, she tells him she will go check on Lucky and get a bottle ready so he can feed her. She stops at the doorway and watches. _There is nothing sexier than a man holding his baby._

"Oh Robin, I am so happy to meet you. I did not know you existed or I would have been here much sooner. You are a lucky little girl to have such an amazing mother. Yeah I know. You are probably wondering why we are not still together if she is so amazing. Would you settle for it's complicated."

"It's not that complicated Robert," Anna says, returning with the bottle. "You either want to be with me or you don't."

"You heard that huh?"

She kneels down at his level and helps position the bottle just right so he could feed her.

"Robert, I want you to know that I would have told you. My plan was never to keep you away from her. I just did not know how to tell you when you hated me so much. "

"I _never_ hated you Anna. I was hurt. I still _am_."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. We will figure it out tomorrow. I want to be a part of Robin's life Anna."

"You are her _Father_ Robert. I would _never_ keep you from her. "

"But?"

"You were always much too good at reading me Scorpio."

"Spit it out Devane."

"Give me one year Robert. If I cannot convince you that we belong together by then, then I will sign those divorce papers. _Please Robert_. All I am asking for is a _chance_. What do you say?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Robert rubbed his eyes as he looked at her. He was much too tired to be having this conversation but he knew it was important. Anna put her hand on his arm, letting him know she understood that now was not the time to talk about this. It amazed him that even when they were not together, she still knew him enough to know what he needed.

"Would you like to tuck her in," Anna asked him.

"Really," he asks.

She puts her hand over his as she looks at him. "You are a father now Robert. Not just to her but to Lucky. You should be building those relationships just as much as I should. Come on, I'll show you how."

Robert smiles softly at her and Anna helps him up from the chair. They put her down onto the changing table and Anna smiles at Robin. She asks Robert to hand her a diaper and points to where it is.

"First thing we do is put on a fresh diaper," she says. "Have you ever changed a diaper Robert?"

"Not exactly," he admits.

"Then let me show you," she says. "Don't look so worried. It's just poop. I think you'll live."

He makes a sour face at her in response and she laughs. _God how he loved that laugh._

"Are you sure I'm doing this right Anna," he asks, after she tells him what to do.

She is trying to stifle a laugh as she looks at him. _"What,_ " he asks. "What is that look for?"

"It's okay Robert. It is not life or death. You just have to pull it a little tighter."

"You find this funny, don't you," he asks Robin, who just giggles at him.

"Well it _is_ a little funny Scorpio," Anna states, as she shows him how to fix it. "There you go. No harm done. You are doing great."

"Now what," he asks.

"Now she wants to cuddle a little," she says.

"Cuddles, I can do, "Robert says.

Anna hands Robin over to Robert. He starts rubbing her back as he holds her close to him. Robin's little fingers reach out to touch his cheek and Anna smiles at him.

"Your daddy is a natural isn't he," Anna says to Robin. She is looking at Robert with so much adoration.

"She makes it easy," he admits.

"She does, doesn't she," Anna says, and after another minute or so, they put Robin into her crib. Robin's fingers curl around his larger ones and Anna can sense his joy as it radiates off him.

"Isn't that the greatest feeling in the world? Knowing that someone so small could be counting on you to give her what she needs. I think she already knows that you will Robert. She knows that you love her."

"I _do_ love her Anna. I knew the moment that you opened that door and showed her to me, that I loved her. She was half yours, how could I not? She has your eyes."

"And your temperament," she quips.

"Isn't she a little young for that yet," Robert teases.

"Are you kidding? Her personality is already forming. She is _just_ like you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good. Always Good."

Their eyes meet just a second longer than was normal for a couple that was merely co-parenting together and Anna asks if he wants to read her a story.

"How about we do it together," he suggests.

"That sounds perfect," Anna agrees, and reaches for one of Robin's books.

Anna's heart swells with love when she watches Robert read to their daughter. This was all she had ever wanted. A life with this man and their daughter. _Please let that still be possible,_ she thinks, as she turns the page. When Robin finally falls asleep, Anna picks up the baby monitor and follows Robert out of the room.

"You and Lucky can sleep with me tonight Robert. We are both so exhausted; I think we all just need a good night's sleep."

"I'm not going to argue with that, "he says.

Anna goes into the bedroom and Robert gently lifts Lucky from the couch. "Time for bed Cowboy," he says. It was Luke's nickname for Lucky. He hopes his friend is proud of the way he is raising him, even if it has only been a few days.

Anna is already in bed when Robert lies Lucky down and gets into bed himself. She kisses Lucky's head and tells him goodnight.

"Thank you Anna," Robert says.

"For What?"

"For raising my daughter…for being so kind to Lucky…for teaching me how to be a father."

"You don't have to thank me Robert. Lucky is a sweet little boy. And as for the rest…It is my pleasure."

He lays down beside Lucky and closes his eyes. She watches him for a moment before closing her own eyes. Somewhere in the middle of the night, Robert's fingers find hers and they stay that way until it is time for Robin's first feeding. It might be nothing but it is a sign that there is hope. Anna will take it. 

* * *

Anna walks into the living room early the next morning to find Robert playing cars with Lucky. The child was lying on his stomach as Robert makes sound effects for him. Robin is in his lap, giggling. Anna smiles at him gratefully as she takes a seat next to him.

"You let me sleep," she says.

"You deserved a morning off. You've been doing it solo for the last three months. I can handle a couple of kids."

"I can see that. Has she eaten yet."

"Already taken care of."

"Changed?"

"That too."

"Correctly?"

He raises an eyebrow at her and says, "You show me once and I remember."

"You do, don't you? What about you two fine men here, have you eaten."

"You don't have much in the kitchen Anna. I was waiting for you to wake up to figure something out. He was satisfied with these cars for the time being."

"I can see that," Anna says. "Kind of reminds me of that car you were driving when…"

Her words fell away and Robert smiled at her. "I know. You want to go down to that Café we had breakfast at the first night of our honeymoon. I know it's still there because I passed it on my way up here."

Anna smiles at him as she looks at the children. Her heart swelled with so much love. He was such a natural with them. "Give me a little time to take a quick shower and you got yourself a deal."

"We'll be here waiting for you. Take your time."

"Robert?"

"Yeah, Luv?"

"Thank you."

Their eyes meet briefly and he nods in response…It was all the communication they needed. 

* * *

Anna closes the door to the nursery and returns to Robert in the living room. Both kids were finally down for their nap and it was time to talk.

"Have you given any thought to what I said last night," she asks.

He was not even surprised that she cut right to the chase.

"I think I am going to need more details Anna. I can't just agree to something like that blindly you know?"

"I don't expect you too."

"Alright then I need to know what you would expect from me in this arrangement."

She took a deep breath as she took a seat next to him on the couch. She needed to be looking at him when she said this.

"I think it's important that we both act as equal parents to both Robin and Lucky," she starts.

"That sounds reasonable," he agrees. "Anything else?"

"We sleep in the same bed. I am not asking you to have sex with me Robert…not unless you want to… so do not look at me like that. I want you to agree to live with me as my husband. That means we sleep in the same bed. "

"Where would we be living," he questions.

"I know you have a job in Port Charles Robert. We can live there."

"Would you want to work?"

"Not right away but I think at some point, I would want to. I need to be doing something Robert. You know that."

"Alright. I want you to know that when you are ready, I will help you find something. "

"Thank you," she says. "Is there anything you would need from me?"

He pauses as he looks at her looking at him. Those eyes still have the same affect on him. _It scares him that he still needs her so much._

"I need this to stay between us Anna. I still have another week left of my suspension and when I go back, I have a week on probation. I really need to keep up the appearance of being a happily married man. Its the only way I stand a chance at all in getting my job back."

"Do you mind if I ask you why you are on suspension?"

He knows he should not trust her with this. Not after everything, she did to hurt him. Somehow he still does. It both terrifies and comforts him.

"After I lost you, I got into trouble with The WSB. I already told you that much. When I took the job as Police Commissioner, I thought I could put it all behind me and start fresh."

"And you couldn't?"

"Anna, you would not have recognized me if you saw me. I was a miserable Son of a bitch. I was very hard on the officers below me. I was constantly questioning their decisions. I made them feel stupid when they made mistakes. As for me, I made extremely bad calls. I could have gotten myself or someone else killed. I was too impulsive Anna. I was not thinking like a cop. I wanted results and I wanted them _now_."

"Oh Robert, I'm so sorry," she says, her hand now on his shoulder. "The last thing I _ever_ wanted was to hurt you like that."

"I'm not going to deny that you broke my heart Anna. I gave you my soul…I gave you everything I had. When that ended, it left me emotionally numb. I could not feel anything anymore. I would not _allow_ myself to feel anything. I shut down Anna. I am not going to lie to you about that."

"So what changed?"

"Lucky needed a Guardian. I _had_ to let my hardened heart thaw just enough to be what he needs. I have not changed much Anna. You need to know that going in. I know that what I did was wrong but I also do not know how to change it. Are you sure that this is still what you want? I am not the man you remember."

"Robert, you are still the man I fell in love with. You are still Robin's father. If you think this is going to scare me away then you could not be more wrong. Before I found out that I was pregnant, I did not care what happened to me. I made reckless decisions too."

He takes a deep breath as he considers his next words. "I can't give you an answer right away Anna. Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"I think that's enough for one day, don't you think?"

"Then I am going to go for a walk. Try to clear my head. I will not be gone long."

Anna rises with him and puts both hands on his cheeks. "You are still the best man I know. You might still think your heart is cold and bitter but I know better. I saw it with Robin. Even with me. Lucky is not the only one who needs you. Cut yourself some slack okay."

He gives her one last thoughtful glance and is out the door. Anna knows she will not have much time before the children wake up so she allows herself a minute to collect herself. _It still hurts to know how much she hurt him._


End file.
